Banners are articles that are similar in form and structure to flags, and while they may be used as a flag to display the identifying standard of a government or private organization, they are more commonly used to display information to the public. The displayed information may be text, such as the name and address of an organization, or graphics, such as the organization's logo. Banners, like flags, are made of flexible sheet material (cloth or vinyl; either solid or perforated) that is referred to as a blank, and is generally provided in a rectangular or square format. The blank's opposite side major surfaces provide the banner's fields on which the information is displayed.
FIG. 16 is an perspective illustration of a typical prior art banner 20 having a rectangular blank 22 with opposite side major surfaces 24, 26. The text or graphic field information to be displayed is applied to one or both major surfaces 24, 26; typically by screen printing. In contrast to flags, which generally fly freely from a halyard at their hoist end, banners are usually secured in a manner which holds them taut in their mounting, to prevent them from flapping, thereby allowing the field information to be more easily read by onlookers. To facilitate this, sleeves 28, 30 are formed at the mounting ends of the blank 22 by folding over the blank's free edges and stitching them along seams 32, 34 to the field. The banner may then be mounted by slipping the sleeves over the top and bottom rods or brackets of mounting apparatus that secures the brackets to a mounting surface at mutual relative spacing that holds the banner taut.
FIG. 17 is an elevation drawing of prior art banner mounting apparatus that is adapted for mounting to a pole 35. The mounting apparatus includes upper and lower mounting brackets 36, 38, each with mounting bases 40, 42 that are connected to the pole 35 through straps 44, 46. The brackets 36, 38 slip through the sleeves 28, 30 of the banner 20 and the straps are adjusted to position the brackets at an intermediate spacing, which is sufficient to tension the banner to hold it taut. While there are variations in the way the brackets 36, 38 of various prior art mounting systems are fixed to their mounted surfaces, their common characteristic is the need for the banner installer to physically place the banner sleeves over the mounting brackets to secure the banner in its mounting.
Since banners are most commonly placed at a height that ensures their visibility to pedestrian and vehicle traffic, they are typically installed on their own poles, or available utility poles, lamp posts, and building facades. Their installation is difficult, possibly dangerous, and expensive since it is time consuming and requires the use of a bucket truck or ladder to give the installer access. This limits their utility for advertising applications where frequent change is required. It may also limit their usable life, since without easy removal they are installed for longer periods and suffer greater weathering.
There is a need, therefore, for a banner mounting system that permits easier and faster installation so as to reduce the cost and risk of the task.